Political parties are organisations established to perform political activities, such as standing for elections, nominating their candidates for official positions, participating in the work of the bodies to which their members have been elected, and implementing party programmes. The right to form and join a political party is a constitutionally protected right.
You may either support the activities of an already existing political party by participating in its activities, donating to it, or becoming a member of the party, or form your own political party.
note Members of certain professions where political impartiality is generally accepted as important for the fulfilment of official functions are prohibited from joining political parties. These include members of the national armed forces, prosecutors, and judges.
How to join a political party?
If you have decided to join a certain political party, you may either follow the instructions for joining indicated on the party’s website or get in touch with the party via the information available on the website. However, common practice is for parties to require recommendations from current party members in order to join, or, for some parties, to provide these recommendations following an interview.
As a member of a party, you have the right to:
- participate in the taking of party decisions
- elect the executive board and other bodies of the party
- run for candidate at the elections of party officials
- receive information regarding the activities of the party, as well as to freely express your opinion
- dispute the decisions taken by the party
- withdraw from the party
Other rights as well as obligations of members may be provided for in the articles of association of the party.
note The names and surnames of party members are publicly available information accessible to anyone.
How to establish a political party?
According to Georgian Law in order to create a political party, a group of at least 300 citizens hold a party founding congress without prior permission. The founding convention shall adopt the statute of a party. A founding convention shall be attended by a notary, who shall certify the minutes of the founding convention. The following documents shall be submitted to the National Agency of Public Service within one week after the founding convention has been completed:
- an application on the registration of the party, along with the signature(s) of the party leader(s)
- the minutes of the founding convention certified by a notary
- a list of at least 1,000 party members, including their names, surnames, dates of birth, identification card numbers, residential and work addresses and telephone numbers and their signatures
- the statute of the party
- a certificate confirming the business address and the telephone number of the party
- a notarially-certified specimen signature(s) of a person(s) authorised to represent the party
- sketches of the party seal, emblem and other symbols, if any
What human rights violation may there be?
The inability to join or establish a political party or restrictions on the party’s operation, including banning the party, may all constitute a violation of the freedom of assembly. International law allows restrictions on the operation of political parties, but the States have a narrow margin of appreciation – only convincing and compelling reasons can justify restrictions on the parties’ freedom of association.
Read more about the restrictions on freedom of association in this Guide.